You Killed My Father: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

When one of the villains [[Deceased Parents Are the Best|kills the parent]] (usually father) of one of the heroes, it'll be that hero who kills that villain in question, even if this isn't an explicit act of vengeance. Occasionally, it's the mother, but this is rarer, and usually crops up in cases [[Disappeared Dad|where the father is unaccounted for]]. Sometimes the villain killed both parents, but the mother will barely get a mention. If even more [[Wangst]] is needed then expect a case of [[Luke, I Am Your Father]]. Mothers more frequently appear in [[Turn Out Like His Father]], because they are afraid if the child tries to get [[Revenge]], he will only die, too; the success rate in preventing this trope is ''very low''.

 

A form of [[It's Personal]]. See also [[Best Served Cold]], and [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]].

 

* ''[[Tower of God]]'': In a special case, it is Anak Zahard's mother that is killed (though her father is murdered alongside with her), because {{spoiler|she, as a Princess of Zahard, got into a relationship with another man.}} Years later, Anak meets her parents murderer on the testing grounds and goes ballistic.

* Played straight in ''[[Afro Samurai]]'' when Justice kills Afro's father at the beginning of the series.{{spoiler|Then Afro does the same shichigoro, leading to his son going for revenge on Afro.}}

* ''[[Bleach]]''

** Gohan says something similar to Cell after he comes back in the Cell saga: "I'm glad that I can rip apart the one who killed my father with my own hands!"

* Averted in ''[[Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch]]'', when {{spoiler|Kaito forgives [[Man Behind the Man]] Sara for killing his parents. She eventually commits suicide by [[Collapsing Lair|collapsing fortress]].}}

* In a unique villainous example, this is Malik of Yu-Gi-Oh!'s motivation for trying to defeat the Nameless Pharaoh. Of course, it turns out that [[Tomato in the Mirror|his]] [[Super-Powered Evil Side]], generated by resentment towards his duty to the Pharaoh (specifically, his father ''carving symbols into his back''), was the killer, and Malik's believing it was the Pharaoh was based on a misunderstanding.

* ''[[Zeta Gundam]]'' features a rather harsh version of this in the case of Camille's mother. Jerid Messa, [[Affably Evil]] rival and already not on Camille's good side, is [[Punch Clock Villain|given orders]] to shoot at a capsule if anyone attempts to retrieve it. Having been led to believe it was a bomb, he destroys the capsule holding Camille's mother, killing her just as Camille had reached the capsule to retrieve it. Jerid is able to feel Camille's sadness as a sickening uneasiness, and when given the opportunity, actually apologizes for having killed his mother. He is still a bit too much of a jerk about it, though, and this death starts a vicious cycle of doom for anyone who gets close to either Jerid or Camille throughout the series.

* ''[[Lone Wolf and Cub]]'' ends {{spoiler|with Yagyuu Retsudou dying at the hands of ''Daigorou'', after killing Ittou.}}

* Gene Starwind from ''[[Outlaw Star]]'' has a vendetta with Ron McDougall over this act, which receives regular flashbacks throughout the series that drive home its impact, and tells him as much. Ron responds that [[But for Me It Was Tuesday|he can't be expected to remember every murder he has committed]], famous hit man that he is.

* This is the reason behind {{spoiler|Yuri Killian}} being a [[Smug Snake]] {{spoiler|and betraying Kalos Eido, whom he blames for the "deed"}} in ''[[Kaleido Star]]''. {{spoiler|Ironically, Mr. Killian's death was a genuine accident. Kalos didn't defend himself because he [[The Atoner|felt guilty anyway]].}}

* Edo Phoenix of ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]]'' searches for his father's killer. [[Batman|By prowling dark alleys at night dressed in monster costumes looking for criminals]], no less.

* [[Badass]] [[Action Girl]] Sherry LeBlanc of ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's]]'' has also been hunting for her parents' killer. She doesn't follow Batman's m.o. quite as closely as her predecessor, but she ''does'' have a [[Battle Butler]] [[Parental Substitute]].

** In [[Mai-HiME (manga)|the manga]]'s storyline, Natsuki's reason for entering Fuuka is largely the same, with the exception that she believes another HiME was responsible for her murder. {{spoiler|The whole story is later revealed to be a lie, as Natsuki's mother shows up at the end of Vol. 3 as the leader of the faction that takes over Fuuka Academy, and serves as the primary antagonist of Vol. 4.}}

* In ''[[Koihime Musou]]'', when Chouhi stops Sousou to say hello, Bachou suddenly tries to kill Sousou on the spot because Sousou had Batou (Bachou's father) killed.

* In ''[[Code Geass]]'', Lelouch blames his father, Emperor Charles, for the death of his mother. It's one of his motivations for fighting the Britannian Empire -- {{spoiler|In the end, Lelouch is at least partially responsible for his death by causing the Collective Unconscious to absorb him... [[Mind Screw|Or something]]... he also ends up causing that same Collective Unconsciousness to absorb his mother, too, because she wasn't actually dead}}

* In ''[[Gundam Wing]]'', soon-to-become pacifist Relena tries to shoot Lady Une, the woman who killed her father (or, at least, the man who cared for her like a father). She fails. The next time the two meet, Lady Une actually ''offers'' Relena a gun to take her long-awaited revenge with, and Relena ''pushes it away'', because ending the vicious cycle of bloody retribution was more important to her, in the end.

* Subverted in ''[[Death Note]]'': {{spoiler|while Light plans to kill his father himself, he's ultimately killed by Mello. Light is visibly distraught at his father's death (he's not ''that'' good an actor; compare L's death), but he appears to deal with it by losing himself yet further in his [[Utopia Justifies the Means|dubious cause]]. He barely mentions Soichiro again, and never figures his death into his conflict with Mello - which, for such a proud guy who takes conflicts and slights so personally, is quite strange. In the end, it's [[Beware the Nice Ones|Matsuda]] [[Berserk Button|who ends up]] [[This Is Unforgivable!|'taking revenge']], subverting the Trope even further.}}

* ''[[Katekyo Hitman Reborn]]'' recently presented an interesting twist in this trope, in that it is not the hero, Tsuna, {{spoiler|but the ''villain'' Kozato Enma}} who is using this as his battle cry, and makes it more interesting because apparently {{spoiler|Tsuna's father Iemitsu was the killer of Enma's parents}}.

* The Kaitou Kid of [[Magic Kaito]] and [[Detective Conan]] has this as his driving motivation once he finds out that his father was murdered. His motives for being a [[Phantom Thief]] shift away from 'having fun' toward 'bringing ''them'' out into the light,' and we might know more about all of that if his series was more than 28 chapters long. (His [[Detective Conan]] [[Only Six Faces|counterpart]] is after ''his'' evil organization because they killed ''[[Who Dunnit to Me?|him]]'', instead.)

* In [[Rose of Versailles]] Rosalie's main reason to go to Versailles is to avenge her adopted mother, who died when a noblewoman's carriage ran over her, and discover who is her real mother. {{spoiler|She finds the killer Mme De Polignac easily, but before she can kill her she discover that Mme De Polignac is her real mother}}.

 

* [[Spider-Man]] was raised by Uncle Ben and Aunt May. When Uncle Ben was killed, Peter wanted to get even, but when he realizes that the murderer was the same thug he let go earlier, he gives up on revenge because he realizes it was his own fault. In fact, the third movie is largely about his need to let go of his vengeful feelings.

** When he finds out that the second Red Skull killed his parents (who where SHIELD agents) he wanted revenge as well. The second Red Skull ends up escaping.... only to be killed later by the original Red Skull. However, Spider-Man ''does'' kill the Finisher (inadvertently and in self-defense, but without any tears), the Skull's agent who actually did the deed. The Finisher's dying confession proved that his parents weren't traitors after all, which was what he really wanted.

* The big reason why [[X Wing Series|Wedge Antilles]] hates Loka Hask is because Wedge's parents sacrificed themselves to save the refueling station after Hask took off without unhooking, letting his thrusters ignite the fuel, in order to stall the police. Hask makes it worse by rejoining [[The Empire]] and [http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/1069/blz05dt3.jpg telling Wedge] that he did him a favor and gave him what all boys secretly want - to be rid of their parents! If only ''he'd'' had someone to do that for him - but no, he had to [[Self-Made Orphan|do it himself!]]

* ''[[X-Men]]'s'' Apocalypse, of all people. After being abandoned as an infant due to his obvious mutations, En Sabah Nur was rescued and adopted by Baal, the leader of a tribe of nomad raiders named the Sandstormers. Then one day the forces of Rama Tut (a.k.a. Kang the Conqueror) attacked the Sandstormers. Baal and En Sabah Nur survived the initial attack by hiding in a cave that collapsed. Baal eventually starved to death, but not before telling En Sabah Nur of Rama Tut's arrival and subsequent conquest of the land, and that he believed Nur was destined to stop him. Nur's desire to avenge his foster father, one of the only people who ever really cared for him and vice versa, was the main reason Nur rejected Rama Tut's [[We Can Rule Together]] offer (Especially ironic, since Rama Tut's goal for traveling to [[Ancient Egypt]] in the first place was to recruit the future Apocalypse). That and [[I Can Rule Alone|Nur wanted to rule the world by himself]].

* ''[[The Sword]]'' runs on this. After three demigods kill Dara Brighton's parents and sister in search of the titular mystical sword, she finds it and sets out to use it to avenge the death of her family.

* Poor Jango. If you think Boba Fett had it bad, Jango lost ''two'' fathers. His biological father (and his mother and sister) was murdered by a group of mercenaries, and his adoptive father who trained him to be a Mandalorian (and whom he was possibly closer to) was gunned down before his eyes by the same man who killed his original family. Needless to say, Fett devotes a great deal of time to hunting down the murderer and finally enacts vengeance in a brutal fistfight.

* ''[[Usagi Yojimbo|Space Usagi]]'': "One cannot live under the same sky as their lord/father's murderer." {{spoiler|He gets both. Personally. Sadly Miyamoto Usagi "proper" has yet to fight [[The Dreaded]] Lord Hikiji, who killed both Miyamoto senior and Lord Mifune.}}

 

* ''[[The Princess Bride (film)|The Princess Bride]]'' gives us a truly iconic example: "[[Hello]]. [[My Name Is Inigo Montoya]]. [[Trope Namer|You Killed My Father]]. [[Prepare to Die]]."

* ''[[Star Wars]]''

* ''[[Conan the Barbarian]]''

** The title character out for revenge for... well, let's just let ''him'' say it, shall we?

** Thulsa Doom as well.

* In ''[[Mystery Men]]'', [[Eddie Izzard]], [[The Dragon]] to [[Big Bad]] Geoffrey Rush, killed [[Janeane Garofalo]]'s father. Various villains are killed by various heroes, but she gets him. (More accurately, {{spoiler|it's her ''dad'' who really gets him. From beyond the grave, as a skull in a bowling ball.}} It's complicated.)

* The film version of ''[[Hellboy (film)|Hellboy]]'' has Prof. Bruttenholm killed by [[Those Wacky Nazis|Kroenen]], causing HB to utter the magnificent line:

* Uttered by Johnny Blaze to Mephisto in the film version of ''[[Ghost Rider]]''.

* ''Escape 2000'' (best known for being featured on [[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]) has the hero's parents killed by [[Mooks]] working for the [[Big Bad]]. His quest for vengeance leads him to [[Boisterous Bruiser|a certain uproarious gang leader.]]

* Averted in [[28 Days Later]]. Hannah's recently Infected (as in, within seconds of contact) father is shot to death in front of her by a group of rescuing soldiers. She's naturally horrified and grieving, but not vengeful. When she thinks that Jim is {{spoiler|uh, biting}} her would-be foster mom, though, she tries to bash his skull in.

* Featured in the ''[[Hamlet]]'' section of ''[[Last Action Hero]].''

* Basically the whole plot of the movie ''Nevada Smith'', where the eponymous character systematically tries to find and kill the men who murdered his parents.

* Tweaked in [[Daredevil]]:

** Played straight, however, with Daredevil himself and the Kingpin.

* Subverted in the 1972 Charles Bronson film ''[[The Mechanic]]''. Arthur Bishop (Bronson) is a [[Professional Killer]] for [[The Mafia]] who kills one of its important lieutenants by [[Make It Look Like an Accident|inducing a heart attack]]. That man's son, Steve, ends up being trained by Bishop as his protege. At the end of the movie the sociopathic Steve poisons Bishop, who as he dies asks if this is revenge for his father. Steve replies casually: "Oh, you killed him? I thought he just died."

* ''[[True Grit]]'', a 1969 western (adapted from a novel), is about a 14-year old girl seeking revenge for her father. She gets to face the murderer and shoot him, though he survives, and the business is finished by her companions who are much more badass.

** In the 2010 version, she ''does'' get to finish the business herself, although she still needs her companions for almost everything else.

* In Sam Raimi's western ''[[The Quick and the Dead]]'', this is the heroine's primary motivation for entering the pistol-duelling competition organized by the villain. Somewhat subverted in that {{spoiler|The Lady is [[Self-Made Orphan|the one who shot her father]], though this was because the villain gave her 8-year-old self [[The Sadistic Choice]] between letting her father hang to death or trying to cut the rope with a pistol. She missed.}}

* Happens in [[Kung Pow! Enter the Fist|Kung Pow]] with the Chosen One and [[Fluffy the Terrible|Betty]].

* In ''[[Saw]] VI'', its main character William, an executive at an insurance company, was responsible for enforcing a corrupt policy and denied a man's application causing him his death. At the end of his game, William meets the wife and son of said man who had held an everlasting grudge on William for what he did and they get the choice whether to let him live or die. The mother cant bring herself to pulling the death lever. The son on the other hand...

* In the [[Tim Burton]] [[Batman (film)|Batman]] movie, Jack Napier, the man who becomes the Joker, is the man who murders the Waynes.

* In [[The Sword and the Sorcerer]], this is why Talon is out to kill [[Big Bad|Cromwell]], and he isn't going to let {{spoiler|Xusia}} do it first.

* In ''[[The Godfather]] Part II'', Vito's father was murdered by a Sicilian mafia boss, Don Ciccio, when Vito was a child. He escaped to the U.S., became an influental crime boss there, and eventually returned to Sicily to meet Don Ciccio.

'''Vito:''' My father's name was Antonio Andolini... [[And This Is For]] you! ''(stabs him)'' }}

* In ''[[Avatar (film)|Avatar]]'', Neytiri's father is killed in the attack on Hometree. Sure enough, she gets her revenge using her father's own bow.

* ''[[X-Men: First Class|X Men First Class]]'' gives us an example of someone avenging the death of their mother, when {{spoiler|Erik/Magneto kills Schmitt/Shaw despite agreeing with his Mutant Supremacist ideals because Schmitt killed his mother in front of him as a child}}.

* Averted with Kelly in ''[[Mystery Team]]''.

* "[[The Lion King|MURDERER!]]"

* In ''[[Fright Night (2011 film)|Fright Night 2011]]'', {{spoiler|Peter Vincent's}} parents were killed by the vampire Jerry Dandridge.

** Subverted: {{spoiler|Peter helps (or [[Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy|tries to)]], but it's Charley who ultimately stakes Jerry.}}

* At the end of ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'', after he mourns Esmeralda's [[Disney Death|"death"]], Quasimodo tells [[Complete Monster|Frollo]] that even though Frollo told him that he raised Quasi because his mother rejected him as a baby for his disfigurement, Frollo was actually lying, admitting that Quasimodo's mother was very kind to her son, and Frollo killed her (the fate of Quasi's father is unknown however, though it's implied that he was presumably arrested and hung like the other Gypsies his parents were travelling with).

 

* Taizu in [[C. J. Cherryh|C.J. Cherryh's]] ''[[The Paladin (novel)|The Paladin]]'' seeks revenge on Lord Gitu for the slaughter of her family, her village, and her Lord. {{spoiler|His actual death is an anticlimax; the hard part was getting there, not the quick work she makes of him.}}

* ''[[Harry Potter]]'' is the guy who gets Voldemort. Voldemort killed both of Harry's parents, who, astoundingly enough, are equally important.<ref>To Harry, that is. The plot, on the other hand, considers Lily to be far more important than James.</ref>

* Mordaunt, the villain (well, one of them) of ''[[The Three Musketeers (novel)|Twenty Years After]]'', apparently does everything he does just so he can avenge his mother, Milady.

** In [[X Wing Series|Wraith Squadron]], Kell Tainer hates and fears Wes Janson because Kell's father was a pilot in the Rebellion who chickened out on a covert mission, tried to flee and in so doing reveal that Rebels were there, and was shot by Wes to prevent that.

** Comes up twice in ''[[Shadows of the Empire]]''. Prince Xizor hates Vader for a variety of reasons, including the fact that there was an Imperial hazard lab on Xizor's homeworld; a flesh-eating bacteria escaped and Vader ordered that to save the planet's population - and potentially the populations of other worlds - from a horrible, rotting, always fatal infection for which there was no cure, the city and the two hundred thousand people there were "sterilized" from orbit. Including Xizor's mother, father, brother, two sisters, and three uncles.

* {{spoiler|Sansar}} in ''[[Conqueror|Wolf of the Plains]]'' hires the Tartars to kill Temujin's father. Temujin kills {{spoiler|Sansar}} in a manner most ingenious, then unites the Mongols against the Tartars to massacre the lot of them. After all that, he becomes Genghis Khan.

* Garion, [[The Hero]] of [[David Eddings]]' ''[[The Belgariad]]'', gets some nice [[Best Served Cold|karmic vengeance]] on Asharak, the Grolim sorcerer who killed his parents when he was only an infant. Asharak burned them alive; Garion [[Karmic Death|burns him alive]] in his first overt act as a sorcerer. In a possible [[Subversion]], he immediately [[My God, What Have I Done?|regrets it]].

* Brutally [[Deconstruction|deconstructed]] in ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' with {{spoiler|Oberyn Martell's epic duel with [[Complete Monster|Gregor Clegane]]. Clegane had [[Dead Little Sister|raped and murdered Martell's beloved older sister]] after killing her infant son in front of her. Martell constantly repeats this during their duel, as a [[Shout-Out]] to the famous [[Trope Namer]], and manages to spear and weaken Clegane, even delivering the final blow to his opponent's chest while shouting his sister's name. Then Clegane manages to grab Martell and unrepentantly admits to killing her before crushing Martell's head and killing him. Martell still got his revenge in the end, thanks to his poisoned spear.}}

* Defied in the [[Dale Brown]] novel ''Warrior Class'', where the [[Big Bad]] Pavel Kazakov says that the strike he orders against an Albanian town is definitely not because Albanian guerillas killed his father.

* In the brazilian book ''[[The Devil to Pay In The Backlands]]'', Diadorim is on a [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]] to kill his father's assassin and betrayer, Hermógenes.

* ''[[The 39 Clues]]'': She {{spoiler|doesn't get killed by them}} unfortunately, but [[Brother-Sister Team|Amy and Dan]] are pretty mad at [[Complete Monster|Isabel Kabra]] for killing their parents. {{spoiler|(And in Book 10, she DOES get sent to jail for life... unless she breaks out.)}}

* ''[[Red Storm Rising]]'': the Soviet Union uses this as an excuse when they stage a [[False-Flag Operation|false flag]] bomb attack, kill a whole bunch of schoolchildren, and blame it on the Germans. You Killed Our Daughters, indeed. {{spoiler|And then it comes around gloriously to bite the Politburo in the ass.}}

* Does ''[[Maximum Ride]]'' get a spot?

* Subverted in ''[[The Odessa File]]''. Nearly 20 years after [[WWII]], German reporter Peter Miller is working on a story involving a Holocaust survivor who committed suicide. After reading the old man's diary, he assists a group of [[Mossad]] agents in infiltrating a secret organization of Nazi war criminals intent on destroying the fledgling state of Israel. Miller, however, isn't interested in the Mossad's goal. His reason for joining the hunt is to track down and kill one of the leaders, a former SS officer who murdered his father, a Wehrmacht captain, during the war. Subverted by Miller making a [[Idiot Ball|blatant error]] that allows the officer to escape and go back into hiding in Argentina, nearly getting himself killed in the process.

* ''Sisterhood'' series by [[Fern Michaels]]: Yoko Akio in ''Free Fall'' had a mother. Her mother was taken into the USA by Hollywood actor Michael "Mick" Lyons, and was used as a slave, prostitute, and other terrible things. Fortunately, Yoko had been taken away from this before she got subjected to the same fate. When she finally confronts Lyons, she pretty much tells him "You killed my mother!" He acknowledges that she died, but claims that he didn't kill her. Yoko points out that Lyons had put her mother on the "sex circuit", and that he most certainly killed her.

* Inverted in ''[[Wayside School]]'': The kids trick their [[Sadistic Teacher]], Mrs. Gorf, into turning herself into an apple, which then gets eaten by Louis. Later, Mrs. Gorf's son tries to avenge her by becoming the kids' substitute teacher, stealing their voices, and attempting to frame them of making hateful phone calls to their own mothers.

 

* Another weird version appears in ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'', where Data does eventually get his "father"'s killer...who happens to be his "brother", Lore.

* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', of course, has one of these. Season seven, Robin Wood discovers {{spoiler|Spike is the vampire who killed his mother. <s>Viewers</s>Fans (casual viewers wouldn't have followed the multi-season arc needed to know this) could guess it as it was known Spike murdered two Slayers previous to Buffy, and that one of them was a black woman who was active roundabout the time Robin would have been a child.}}

* Morgana discusses this with Uther in ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]'', having heard the rumors that Uther arranged the death of Gorlois, the man she thought was her father-this was long before she found out Uther was her father.

 

* The Decemberists' ''Mariner's Revenge Song'' has lyrics that are all about why the person being sung to is responsible for the death of the singer's mother, and how he is now going to finally take his revenge.

* Inverted in [[They Might Be Giants]]' spoken-word piece "Lesson 16" (a parody of those language-learning tapes), in which John Linnell reveals that he killed your father in order to get with your mother.

 

* [[Greek Mythology|In the original Greek myth,]] Elektra and her brother Orestes avenged the death of their father, Agamemnon, by killing his murderer, Clytemnestra. And she's their mother, who killed him for killing the other kid, Iphigenia. Now ''that'' is a [[Big Screwed-Up Family]].

** Well, actually Iphigenia didn't, technically, die. Her mom just ''thought'' she was dead.

**** The Greeks recorded the whole story relatively late, because the Egyptians didn't want to admit out loud or in writing that Osiris died. But it's clear from paintings and other stories that the myth was very old indeed.

 

* In ''[[Electra]]'', Orestes kills his mother and her lover, Aegisthus, for killing Agamemnon. Electra herself has spent years reminding them this is why she wants them dead.

* In ''[[Der Ring Des Nibelungen]]'', this is the most Siegfried ever learns as to the Wanderer's identity.

 

* ''[[Independence War]] 2: Edge of Chaos'' is set in motion mostly by [[Loan Shark|Caleb]] [[Corrupt Corporate Executive|Maas]] killing Felix Johnston over a supposedly-unpaid loan. A debt that apparently got inherited by young [[Player Character|Cal Johnston]], whom Maas decides to have imprisoned for life when he finds him again, recovering one of his father's items. (As if suddenly becoming orphaned AND inheriting a significant debt that was supposed to be paid off wasn't bad enough.) Cue Cal breaking out of prison with some other folks 15 years later to become a [[Space Pirate]] like his grandma, build up resources, and ultimately get cold, hard revenge on Maas.

** In the Starfox comic in ''Nintendo Power'', a big part of the comic's backstory involves Andross and the [[Love Triangle]] that he had with Fox's father over Fox's mother. It turned out that Andross killed the mother with a car bomb that was meant for the father, and sabotaged the father's ship so that it would be lost in the Black Hole. Andross (or rather one of his ''clones'') reveals this to Fara Phoenix, [[The Chick]] of the Star Fox team, after mistaking her for Fox's long-dead mother (this came about due to Fara getting into one of Fox's mother's outfits, resulting in Fox remarking that she could be his mother's twin sister). Fox hears Andross's reveal as well and goes ''well'' beyond furious and into [[Unstoppable Rage]] mode. Sporting a pair of [[Glowing Eyes of Doom]], no less!

** [http://Mad-But-Happy.deviantart.com/art/Fox-McCloud-as-74679111 This] piece of fanart is a brilliant parody of this section of the trope.

* In ''[[Street Fighter]] II'' Chun-Li wants to kill M. Bison because he killed her father. The adaptations also usually have even in the Live Action movie and the cartoon series, Bison will [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|say something badass]] about how trivial this is to him. Indeed, in the cartoon, Bison killed Cammy's parents ''and'' his own father.

'''M. Bison:''' Yes, yes, I killed your father. What is it with you women anyway? [[Self-Made Orphan|I killed my father too,]] and you don't hear me whining about it! }}

'''Zangief''': They said that fire was an accident.'' }}

* In ''[[Baldur's Gate]]'' you have to avenge the death of your foster-father, Gorion. Along the way, you find out that your real father is {{spoiler|Bhaal, the now-dead god of murder, and that your foster-father's killer is one of your divine half-brothers}}. Exactly who kills him depends kind of which of your party members puts down the killing blow, but your party kills him so it counts.

* ''[[Fire Emblem]]'' loves applying this to the lords. As early as the fourth game (''Genealogy of the Holy War''), you had Celice avenging his father by fighting Alvis (Sigurd himself sought to avenge ''his'' father) AND Leaf avenging his father Cuan by fighting Trabant, but it was in the ninth game ''Path of Radiance'' where Ike's fight with the Black Knight for killing his father was a significant part of the story. No one seeks vengeance for their mothers (if they're mentioned at all), although in Ike's case it's rather justified.

** Joshua from ''The Sacred Stones'' does to avenge his mother, though you only see him doing so in Eirika's path. We never know what REALLY happened to Ismaire in Ephraim's path (or if Joshua is actually a prince, at all)

** And Tinny from ''Genealogy of the Holy War''. Seriously, if your [[Genki Girl|Genki Mother]] (Tiltyu) becomes [[Break the Cutie|completely broken and dies of sorrow]], all thanks to one [[Evil Matriarch]] standing right in front of you, who'd not want to? Apparently, if you do pit Arthur (Tinny's brother) with Hilda in the last scenario, he'd think the same.

*** Genealogy of the Holy War has a lot of Villain-to-hero accusations. Danan, Scorpio, Burian, and Ishtar all use this line, though in Scorpio and Danan's case the parents of the heroes killed their father, close enough. Also Blume is a badguy who uses the inversion "You Killed My Son."

* In ''[[Persona 3]]'', {{spoiler|Ken Amada}}'s motivation for joining the party turns out to be getting vengeance on his mother's killer. {{spoiler|The 'killer' turns out to be a former member of SEES, who did it by accident, has regretted it ever since, and is fully aware of Ken's motives -- in fact, he rejoins you just to give Ken a shot at dealing with him. The trope is subverted; Takaya kills him in front of Ken's eyes}}.

** It's even better. {{spoiler|The killer [[Taking the Bullet|took the bullet]] for Ken. Vengeance is totally ruined.}}

* ''[[Mother 3]]'': In the first chapter, {{spoiler|Claus}} tries to avenge the death of {{spoiler|his mother, Hinawa}}. This is subverted at the end of the chapter, where it turns out that {{spoiler|Claus was killed as well. He gets worse.}}

** {{spoiler|And maybe [[Unexplained Recovery|better]] after the ending during the credits}}

** Well, ''technically'', Mars was responsible for Cless' parents' death -- [[Evil Is Not a Toy|and Dhaos beats Cless to the punch there]].

* Subverted by ''[[Tales of Symphonia]]'' where, after we learn that [[Quirky Miniboss Squad]] member Kvar was directly responsible for the death of Lloyd's mother by mutating her into a monster and [[Mercy Kill|forcing his father to kill her]], he is instead stabbed to death by Kratos. {{spoiler|Double subverted once we learn that Kratos is Lloyd's father, and thus had a higher rating on the hierarchy of 'giving this villain his [[Karmic Death]]' -- and no, Lloyd isn't very big on killing ''him'' once he finds out.}}

* ''[[Metroid]]'', and the unending battle between bounty hunter Samus Aran and Ridley, leader of the Space Pirates who killed not only her own parents, but everyone else on the space colony where she was born.

* Subverted in [[Metal Gear Solid]]. Liquid really hated his father, so he blames Solid Snake for "stealing [his] revenge!"

** May be a slight subversion in that {{spoiler|Autumn ''doesn't'' kill your father- your father kills ''himself'' in order to keep Autumn/the Enclave from taking control of Project Purity.}} Regardless, he's still, more or less the man ''responsible'' for your father's death.

*** Which the man himself points out, should you choose to call him on it:

{{spoiler|'''Autumn:''' Technically, your father killed himself. His loyalties lay with the wrong people, and he paid the price.}} }}

* [[Mega Man ZX]] pulls this one in Vent's story - in it, Purprill points out that he was just another Maverick until he helped lead the attack on Area H ten years ago, and was remodeled into a Pseudoroid for his work. Need I remind you just WHO happened to be there at the time?

** Aile implies, although not outright states, in her story that she was also aware of Purprill murdering her parents and witnessed him doing it from this exchange.

Aile: I'm the one with the memories here. You get out of my park! }}

* In ''[[Baten Kaitos]]'', Kalas seeks to kill Giacomo for this reason.

* In ''[[The Godfather (video game)|The Godfather]]'' game, your killing of Don Emilio Barzini is partly on orders and partly because he ordered your father's death. It even gets a Lampshade hung on it when you finally catch up during the baptism assassinations, with Barzini saying that he knew it would be you.

* Looking for his father's killer is Siegfried's motivation in the first [[Soul Series|Soul Blade]] game. {{spoiler|Subverted - it was Siegfried himself.}}

* Pretty much the case in ''[[Assassin's Creed]] II'', as Ezio's original motivation is the framing and execution of his father, along with Ezio's brothers {{spoiler|at the behest of the [[Big Bad]]}}. After he avenges himself upon the prosecutor/judge though, he finds out about a conspiracy against the city which his father had collected evidence against, and considers the conspirators partially responsible as well.

** And the opening of ''Brotherhood'' ends with the {{spoiler|killing of Mario Auditore by Cesare Borgia}} to conclude the Siege of Monteriggioni.

* After Sepulchure's death in ''[[Adventure Quest Worlds]]'', his daughter Gravelyn becomes sad and angry over it, and guess what? [[This Is Unforgivable!|She will never forgive Drakath for killing him]]. Hence, the reason why she formed a truce with King Alteon to deal with his threat and that of the 13 Lords of Chaos.

* This is the main plot element of the iOS game ''[[Infinity Blade]]'': in the opening tutorial, your character is killed by the [[Big Bad|God King]] and the main game starts 20 years later with you controlling his son. You fight your way through the God King's castle before reaching the man himself...who is much more powerful than you and will [[Curb Stomp Battle|most likely kick your ass and kill you]]. Then time furthers an additional 20 years with you controlling the son of the ''previous character'' (who for some reason retains the same level and equipment as his father) and so the game continues as you go through several generations until you manage to kill the God King.

* The line is said in [[Outlaws (1997 video game)]] by Marshal Anderson to {{spoiler|Bob Graham, who's holding him at gunpoint, and gloats about finishing him off}}. In an interesting twist the one who actually kills the villain is not Anderson but rather {{spoiler|his little daughter Sara}}.

* In ''[[Valis]] II'', the [[Big Bad]] Magus is the brother of Roglas, the first game's [[Big Bad]].

* ''[[Ratchet and Clank]]: Tools of Destruction'' be sure to pour on the backstory for our main character. The [[Big Bad]] Percival Tachyon establishes a vendetta against the Lombax species, as he either killed or caused all remaining Lombaxes in the universe to flee using the Dimensionator. {{spoiler|Tachyon, however, makes sure to point out that one two Lombaxes stayed behind while the rest fled-- The keeper of the Dimensionator and his infant son. He tells Ratchet that he took great pleasure in killing his father, and that is was a shame that he was sent to the Solana Galaxy before Tachyon could find him, as well.}}

* In [[Deus Ex]], {{spoiler|Bob Page}} is revealed to have been responsible for killing {{spoiler|you and Paul's}} father. He even {{spoiler|sends the man who did the job to kill you near the end of the game, allowing you to exact sweet, sweet revenge, in addition to getting revenge on Page himself in the ending.}}

* ''[[The Force Unleashed]]'', unlike the main ''[[Star Wars]]'' classic trilogy above, plays this straight with Starkiller's father murdered by Darth Vader right in front of his very eyes; he even says the line himself during his fight against Vader. It's also strongly implied that Palpatine was also involved in Vader murdering Starkiller's father.

* In ''[[Tomb Raider]]: Underworld'', Natla reveals that she killed Lara's father.

* This is the motive of several ''opponents'' in the sequel to ''[[Fantasy Quest]]'', set 20 years after your first "rampage."

* In a doujinshi of ''[[Rosenkreuzstilette]]'' called ''Rosenkreuzstilette Afterstory'', better known as ''Tearis'', Zorne Sepperin is extremely pissed off at {{spoiler|her adoptive sister, Iris for having killed her adoptive father, Graf Michael Sepperin, in the first game. Not willing to forgive her for making her suffer by doing just that, she vows to eliminate her. Cue Freu trying to stop her through a heated battle involving her rage-born power, and Iris, knowing of the battle between the two, desperately asking Tia to kill her in order to truly end the chaos}}.

 

* In ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'', Eugene Greenhilt (Roy's father) swore a blood oath of revenge on Xykon for killing his mentor (Eugene's own father was alive or had died of natural causes at that point, but in either case the two were estranged). However, it's utterly subverted as Eugene eventually ditches that ambition and dies of natural causes.

** Let's not forget that Roy's own motivation to take out Xykon is the Blood Oath passed down from his father.

* In Flintlocke Vs. The Horde, Rok'Tar swears revenge against Flintlocke for this very reason, oblivious of the fact that his father is an NPC who regenerates after a few minutes.

* A variation in [http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20010722.html this strip] of ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]'':

* In the webcomic [[Elven Lacryment]] it's the mother who is killed.

* [[Looking for Group]]: lampshaded by Richard. "YOU KILLED OUR FATHER!" "YOU MADE HIM USE A TIRED CLICHE!"

* [[Bob and George]] "[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/040914c My name is Mega Man! You killed my dog! Prepare to die!]"

* In ''[[El Goonish Shive]]'', Grace both learns who her father was and that Damien killed him [http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2004-03-17 at the same time].

* Olgaf plays with this in one strip where it ends where the father-killer is, himself, a father, starting the process over again with his son.

 

* [[Homestar Runner|"You MURDERER! You killed my brother!...I mean computer!"]]

** [[Teen Girl Squad|"Ckhk. She killed my dog." "Um... 'kay."]]

* A [[Running Gag]] in ''[[Suburban Knights]]'' is Angry Joe being unable to remember Inigo Montoya's "You killed my father" line. He ends up substituting in "mother", "brother", "lawyer", and finally, "hamster."

* In ''[[Street Fighter the Later Years]]'' Dhalsim worries that Chun-Li won't listen to M. Bison about the tournament because he killed her father. Bison's not worried about it:

 

* Played completely straight in ''[[Batman Beyond]]''. [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]] Derek Powers arranged to have Terry McGinnis's father killed, so Terry becomes the next [[Batman]], and not only gets the guy who actually did the job, but ends up nearly getting Powers killed, causing him to become his archenemy Blight. When Terry later finds out that Blight is Powers, he confronts him again in the season finale:

'''Batman''': Too bad. It's all you get. }}

'''Terry:''' "Hey, this guy had my father murdered and all he's done since is hide from the law. Well, no more hiding for Mr. Derek Powers. Now everyone can see what he is... even in the dark.." }}

* Parodied in the ''[[South Park]]'' episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft". After giving Stan the [[Infinity+1 Sword|Sword of a Thousand truths]] in ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', Stan's father's character is killed by the episode's [[Player Killer]] antagonist. Stan confronts him dramatically with "You killed my father."

* In the ''[[Ben 10: Alien Force|Ben 10 Alien Force]]'' episode 'Vendetta', A villain named Ragnarok is revealed to have killed Kevin's father. Kevin quotes Inigo's famous line when he first find Ragnarok. Kevin makes sure Ben and Gwen don't interfere in his final confrontation with Ragnarok; the latter's ship falls apart, and {{spoiler|Kevin removes the item that kept Ragarnok's ship around; Ragarnok dies in space}}.

** Later, in ''Ultimate Alien'', {{spoiler|Charmcaster confronts the tyranical ruler of her home dimension and killer of her father, who says "My might has long since cowed any resistance that once dared challenge me.", to which Charmcaster replies "Is that your way of saying you killed my father?!"}}

* In the 2003 ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' cartoon, the leader of the Purple Dragon gang, Hun, killed Casey Jones' father when Casey was a kid; unsurprisingly Casey is packing a grudge against Hun and everyone wearing the Purple Dragon colors. Averted insofar as Casey refuses a couple opportunities to kill Hun, however.

* Towards the end of the third season of ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'', Katara tracks down her mother's killer, intending to kill him {{spoiler|until she discovers he is ''literally'' [[Not Worth Killing]]}}. Although nothing close to Inigo Montoya's speech is used, "[[Memetic Mutation|My name is Katara of the Southern water Tribe. You killed my mother. Prepare to die!]]" still eventually became a meme.

* In one episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'', Frank Grimes' son tries to kill Homer since Homer's idiocy indirectly killed Frank in an earlier episode.

* A villain-on-villain example: ''[[Spider-Man: The New Animated Series]]'' featured a pair of psychic twins out for revenge on [[Egomaniac Hunter|Kraven the Hunter]] for the murder of their parents. Since they weren't powerful enough to take on Kraven directly, they used their powers to trick Spider-Man into believing that Kraven had murdered [[Love Interest|Mary Jane]]. Kraven was very nearly killed by Spider-Man's [[Unstoppable Rage]], and only survived when Spider-Man realized what was happening.

 

== [[Real Life]] ==

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Narrative Devices]]

[[Category:Revenge Tropes]]

[[Category:Stock Phrases]]

[[Category:Older Than Dirt]]